


Empty Mask

by Bleu_Tsuki



Category: Darker Than Black
Genre: F/M, I'm not a qualified psychologist, MPD, did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-10
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:47:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,461
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23716951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bleu_Tsuki/pseuds/Bleu_Tsuki
Summary: COMPLETE! Hei has been acting strange lately. Naturally, the Syndicate bring in Misaki Kirihara, known as Dr. Yayoi Ichinose, to sort him out. Little do they know this is their fatal mistake. Hei/Misaki. MPD/DID!Hei
Relationships: Hei & Kirihara Misaki, Hei/Kirihara Misaki
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	1. Last Chance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DestiniesEntwined](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DestiniesEntwined/gifts).



**Disclaimer:** I own absolutely nothing of the Darker Than Black Fandom- I also know next to nothing about Japan so please forgive me any and all errors I make whilst writing this fic. *

 **Notes about the AU:** Before becoming a Section Chief, Misaki Kirihara was trained in psychology. I took her alias name from season 2 (Yayoi Ichinose) but there isn't any significance in this connection. This story also roughly takes place after episode 10.

 **Notes about Multiple Personality Disorder/Dissociative Identity Disorder:** Usually there is a main personality which can see everything the others can. Hint: There are more than two in this fic. Hint2: To tell you more would ruin the plot.

 **Summary:** Hei has been acting strange lately. Naturally, the Syndicate bring in Misaki Kirihara, known as Dr. Yayoi Ichinose, to sort him out. Little do they know this is their fatal mistake. Hei/Misaki. MPD/DID!Hei

**I'd like to dedicate this story to Destinies Entwined because she's an amazing person! Go check out her stories!**

* * *

**Empty Mask**

**Chapter 1: Last Chance**

Huang inhaled deeply, a cigar perched on his lips. His cap was drawn over his eyes and a newspaper was spread across his lap. He sat on a park bench outside of Police Headquarters, thinking how ironic it was that the highest of those who stood for justice were merely pawns of the Syndicate's. He thought of this and smiled bitterly to himself, remembering a time when he was on the other side of the game. But that was besides the point. That wasn't why he was here, because currently, he was here on a rather peculiar set of orders:

"If Hei begins to act strangely please contact Mr. Hourai at your earliest convenience." That was it. No symptoms, no clues or hints as to what that strange behavior could possibly be. Hell, Huang thought, Hei was strange already. How was he supposed to know the difference? But lately, things _had_ been getting a little bit strange. At first, Huang hadn't even noticed it. He'd ask the contractor questions like: "When did you get back? Who did you talk to?" And sometimes he would answer, and sometimes he would not. Huang passed this off as contractors being moody or secretive, but the more and more this kept happening the more Huang realized that Hei looked downright lost.

Perhaps this was what acting strange meant. Perhaps he should actually get help. Discreetly placing a phone to his ear, he dialed Mao.

"Yes, you know what we talked about. If he does it again, I have no choice but to report it."

.oOo.

"Hei! Hei!...HEI!" Mao yelled, giving his partner an odd look.

"Yes?"

"I've been trying to talk with you for the last five minutes. Are you sure you got enough sleep after the-"

"Mao." Hei fixed him with a stern glare. "I'm fine." Hei hoisted himself from the floor, dusting off his pants despite the floor being spotless.

Mao whipped his tail back and forth in agitation. "Well, I'm not repeating myself," he said unhappily.

Hei frowned. What had got that cat all in a mood? "Yin?" he asked, "What's going on?"

The doll who sat at his kitchen table glanced over at him. "Last night, the police found traces of your blood. They've done a scan and have followed it back to the park."

"What?" Hei couldn't believe his ears. He had bled at several crime scenes. Why were they just tracing it now?

"I think it was when your wire was cut by that police officer and you scraped yourself on top of the building," Yin supplied helpfully. "Unlike the Wei Zhijun case, there was only one possibility to whose blood it was."

"So why aren't we leaving?" Hei wondered. "Where's Huang?"

"It's too suspicious if you leave right now," Mao explained. "You live right across from the park after all. If they asked the tenant about you, they'd eventually find out you haven't attended a single class in Japan. Bingo. You'd be dead within the month."

Hei shot him another glare. "So what? We're supposed to just stay in here and wait it out? They could come upstairs any minute!"

Mao sighed before sending a knowing look to Yin. "You want to tell him? I already said I'm not going to repeat myself."

"What?" Hei growled, irritated now.

"Huang wants you to talk to the police officers to see how much they really know. Offer them help if you have to. If they know a lot, tell them you feel unsafe in the area and then Huang can fix you a new place. If they don't know anything, then you can continue to live here."

The entire situation seemed contrived. If they had his blood sample, then why hadn't they pinpointed him yet? "Fine," Hei grumbled, standing up abruptly and grabbing his green jacket. "I'll see what I can do."

.oOo.

Li Shengshun shut the door of his apartment room very carefully before locking it. He had heard that Tokyo was not altogether safe at the moment, so he thought it was best to lock his doors. He made his way down the steps of the apartment building before running into Misuzu, the white-haired landlady. She swept the lot thoroughly even though the rest of the tenants were dropping crumbs like crazy. Looking up, she waved at him.

"How ya doin', Li?" she greeted, setting down her broom. "Isn't it crazy that those good-for-nothing criminals go to a kids' park? The police have been here all morning making a racket with their electronic devices!"

Li nodded to her with a grin. "Oh, that is a shame. I wonder how long they'll be here." Police? In a park? Now that was strange...and scary! He couldn't believe that the city crime could reach him!

"Too long if you ask me," Misuzu huffed. "Just hope they catch the damn criminal..."

She went on with her mumblings and her sweepings, while Li continued down to the street. He couldn't help but glance over at the park though. So far, the police had amassed little trays of evidence which were labelled by little, yellow numbered tags, wrapped the whole park in yellow caution tape, and parked a mass of flashing police cars in the parking lot. He watched as the long-haired police chief bent down to dust off the bench, carefully scouring for fingerprints. She stood back up, stretched out her back, and turned around to shout something to her subordinates.

"Saitou, check the slide. Look for signs of struggle like nail marks in the plastic. Maybe our BK-201 kidnapped a kid for leverage." Misaki Kirihara grimaced as she thought about why else someone would kidnap a child. She couldn't possibly believe it of BK-201, but the evidence had led them to a kids' park and all possibilities were a go.

"Yes, chief! I'm on it!" Saitou shouted back.

As the long-haired police chief turned back around, she caught sight of Li across the street. It couldn't hurt to ask the locals could it? She quickly checked her work site to make sure everyone was okay for the moment before crossing the street to Li.

Li watched as Misaki advanced way too fast for him to pretend like he wasn't just spying on them. She adjusted her glasses as she reached him.

"Li Shengshun, right?" she asked politely. "You live in the apartment complex across the street- we met a few times before?"

"Oh, uh, yeah," he replied dumbly as he scratched his back. What a beautiful woman! They had only met a handful of times, but already he had a crush a mile deep. "Miss Kirihara?"

"You can call me Misaki," she told him quickly, "Anyway, I was wondering- since you live here- if you've noticed anything strange lately. Any new tenants that have a black trench coat?"

Li tilted his head in confusion. _He_ had a black trench coat, but he couldn't possibly have anything to do with the crime scene, right? "Uh, I have one. Did I do something wrong?"

Misaki paled considerably. "No! No! I'm sorry. I didn't mean you at all!- silly of me to base my search on clothing alone. No, I just came over here to see if you saw anything suspicious we should know about. As you can see, we're scrambling for clues, but nothing promising has turned up yet."

Li's eyes widened in curiosity. "Oh? That's a surprise. It seems like you have the whole police station searching."

Misaki cracked a half-hearted grin. "Just Section Four and-" she nodded towards where a tall blonde man was talking with a turquoise-haired woman, "-some curious volunteers."

"Volunteers?" Li repeated blankly. "You mean, I could help?"

Misaki wet her lips. "Only if you want to, I don't want to pressure you or-"

"I'd love to help!" Li said. "If there's a criminal near where I live I want to help bring him down."

"Oh, well, in that case we'd love to have you," Misaki said, "Maybe you could swing by tomorrow and I'll explain what jobs are available. We're pretty much done for the day, and besides don't you have school today? It's a Monday."

Li gaped, startled. She remembered? "Oh! Yeah," he said. He reached around for his book bag, but realized that it wasn't on him. Blushing, he said, "I must have left my books in my apartment."

"Don't worry about it. It happens to everyone. See you tomorrow, Li- I mean Mister-"

"No, Li is fine." He smiled. He watched the pretty police officer walk away before turning back up the route to his flat. He couldn't believe it. The beautiful Misaki Kirihara had spoken to him! With a stupid grin on his face, he went back to his apartment, nearly forgetting to unlock the door.

"Hei? Is that you?" someone from within asked.

And Li remembered nothing more.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks for reading! I love MPD stories very much and have read them in other fandoms. I haven't had the time to actually dig through DTB lately- something which I really regret. Also, just wanted to apologize for any errors. If you find any please let me know and I'll try and correct them!**

**Please Review!**


	2. Therapy

**A/N: Here's chapter 2!**

* * *

Hei emerged from his daze to find Mao and Yin staring up at him from inside his apartment.

"Hei, good you're alright. Did you get anything from that police chief?"

Police chief? His mind immediately conjured the image of Misaki Kirihara, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember seeing her today. He looked at Mao strangely- it hadn't been the first time that the cat seemed completely inane.

"No. I don't think so," Hei said slowly.

"You talked with her for a while," Yin said, not accusingly. She focused her pink irises on him. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, why?" Hei asked, a bit too quickly.

Yin didn't answer.

"Well, Huang won't be too pleased," Mao said, trying to shake the awkwardness. "If you couldn't find out anything important then it must mean they already suspect the people in these tenant buildings. I'll contact Huang and make sure to get a new apartment. We'll leave this one open too, just in case."

Hei nodded. "Fine. I'm going to get some breakfast. Yin?"

Mao exchanged glances with the doll. "Go with him, Yin. I'll get back to you soon."

The girl nodded and as they exited. Mao stared at the door. It wasn't being locked. Interesting.

When he was sure the two were gone, the cat tapped into the wireless connection he had in his built-in radio to report back.

"Mao, what is it?" Huang demanded, none too gently.

"You're right. It's gotten worse. Hei hasn't been acting like himself all morning," Mao said stoically.

"...I was afraid this might happen."

.oOo.

Huang hadn't stepped foot within Police HQ in a very, _very_ long time. He remembered when he could walk the halls with his chin up, files under his arm, grim smile on his lips. Now, he was unsure how to enter. Sure he had orders, but on the other hand, nearly everyone in the building wanted him dead- not that they knew who he was, of course, but had they known he was the one working with BK-201 he wasn't sure if he'd last a minute. But they did not know who he was, and this gave him confidence. He walked to the front of the building, paranoid and hyperaware about all the security cameras in the entrance alone. The lobby of the building was pristine with elevators lining the walls and two sets of emergency stairwells.

One of guards watched him as he crossed the threshold and approached the stairs, but didn't bother to stop him. Was it him or was it that this man knew who he was and who he worked for? He intended to take the stairs because there was bound to be less security cameras on them, but realizing that he had ten flights ahead of him made him slightly queasy. It had been a while since his days as a cop. Just as he reached the bottom, the guard called out, "Elevator 3 will take you where you need to go."

Huang froze. That was eerily helpful, but was it trustworthy information? Turning back around, he was met with an empty room. Huh. Well, if they wanted to kill him, they would have killed him already, right? He walked over to the third elevator and barely pushed the button when the doors slid open with a ding! Tenth floor, here he comes!

The ride to the top was uneventful to say the least. Soft piano music flooded his ears and he tapped his fingers impatiently against the wooden rail. He wondered if Hourai could see him now- probably, if he were honest with himself. However, there weren't any cameras that he could find.

When the elevator slowed to a stop, Huang was prepared to ninja-sneak his way around the building, but something stopped him. As soon as the doors parted, a well-groomed but stiff businessman stood at attention. Shoulders back, hands at his sides, and very interesting facial hair which made him look like a cat or some other feline.

"My name is Yoshimitsu Hourai. I take it that you're here on orders."

Huang regarded this man with caution. His first reaction was to size him up with his police training. Good body language, assertive and powerful, low voice, commanding, and well-groomed…wealthy. His second reaction was to run from his experience with contractors and other dubious sorts. Danger practically oozed from this man! It said run away from me! But Huang stayed put. Actually, he had a faint suspicion that the elevator would not go back down unless Hourai willed it to.

"Yes," Huang said gruffly. He was about to say more, but Hourai held up a black gloved hand to silence him.

"We can continue this chat in my office if you'd please follow me."

Huang stepped off the elevator, acutely aware that he had just signed his death wish. As they made the long trek to his office, Hourai continued to speak. "We are on the tenth floor of Police Headquarters. I am the chief of the PSB. I handle many different sections that each deal with very specific cases."

Huang could make a wild guess as to what one of those sections were: that interfering Section Four!

"However," Hourai said, unlocked his door with a special keypad and gesturing his guest inside, "there are several grey areas which overlap. We try our best to make sure that each and every one of our officers is prepared for whatever situation may come. Please, sit." Hourai offered a seat on the couch opposite his own. Huang sat down cautiously.

"What I mean to say, _Huang_ , is that we are grooming our officers to take the reins of whatever position the Syndicate deems necessary in the future. Of course, they don't know yet that the very organization they work to bring down is the same organization they've been working for their whole lives, but they're intelligent people. I don't see them betraying us once they learn the truth."

Huang nearly snorted at that. Oh, how he'd beg to differ. He remembered when he had been inducted into the Syndicate. It had **not** been a pleasant time.

"Now, I've digressed. Please, Huang, tell me what seems to be the problem."

Hourai fixed him with his dead set black eyes, expecting an answer like this man was his inferior. Huang tried not to take this personally.

"I was told to contact you if my contractor began to display unusual behavior."

"Hmm," was all the other man said. "You work with BK-201, correct?"

Huang nodded, a bit peeved that this man whom he had never met knew every detail of his job.

"You don't seem surprised," Huang remarked in what he hoped was an off-handed way.

"Don't I?" Hourai asked, "I've been preparing for this for quite some time. You see, the Syndicate has informed me of a few peculiarities surrounding this BK-201. For one thing, he has no remuneration. For another, his messier-code once belonged to his sister. Intriguing, no? And don't think this is all about _him_ , Huang. We've read through _your_ reports and some things don't match up."

Huang started to curse internally. He was dead. Sooo incredibly dead.

"Don't worry, though," Hourai said uncaringly. "By comparing what our police have gathered to your own view of events, we've been able to piece together what you've altered and why. I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but you have a very interesting contractor on your hands. Many of his actions could even be called heroic, if not compassionate."

Compassionate? Now that was a load of bull!

"What? Don't believe me? No matter. The point is, Hei isn't like the others. He doesn't think in black and white and his actions cannot be predicated logically."

"What do you plan to do to him?" Huang asked directly. He was becoming more and more apprehensive as the stone cold man in front of him became more and more animated with interest.

"Therapy."

.oOo.

"Therapy?" Huang repeated. "Therapy? For what? With who?"

This was crazy. Utterly crazy. Contractors had no feelings, so what good would therapy do for him? Why weren't they concerned that this anomaly of a contractor was uncontrollable and unpredictable? Why weren't they concerned that Huang had lied on official reports and that Hei had broken orders innumerable times? _Therapy?_ Huang was having a very hard time believing there wasn't a more sinister motive.

"Therapy is very conducive to one's health," Hourai explained as if to a very stupid child. "Hei is very useful to the Syndicate, more so alive than dead. We'd like to get as much use out of him as possible, if you understand me."

"So the organization is actually doing something for Hei's own good?"

"For the Syndicate's ultimate benefit, yes," Hourai replied. "And as for the _who_ , well, I'm not at liberty to say. Legally, the police isn't even connected to this small practitioner. However, I hear that she's the best of the best." Hourai said this with a gleam in his eyes which made Huang feel on edge. "Have Hei meet me here tonight and I'll give him the address. You are not to follow him or ask about his sessions- this can be very destructive to his healing."

Huang nodded glumly at these words. He didn't feel that great taking orders from this man.

"Is that all?" Huang asked.

"For now."

And without words, Huang knew he had been dismissed. What a bastard.

* * *

**A/N: Please Read and Review!**


	3. Expectations

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews everyone! I really appreciate it! XD So without further ado, enjoy!**

* * *

Hei was eating his ramen with extra force today. Yin sat across from him, completely uncaring that her breakfast date was taking out his anger on the poor bowl of noodles.

"Will that be all?" Rika asked cautiously as she drew near the odd couple. Yin gave her a nod behind Hei's back and the girl gratefully stepped away.

"Yin, I just don't understand why Mao asks such weird questions." Slurp! Slurp! "I mean, it's not like I did anything to him to deserve being treated like that. I swear he and Huang are up to something behind my back."

Yin sighed softly. It was no use talking to Hei when he was in one of his moods. It almost sounded as if Hei didn't even know what was going on half the time. He'd get this weird clouded look in his eye and just look at everyone strangely. It was as if Hei thought they were tormenting him on purpose and this just wasn't the case!

"Hei. Calm down. People are watching," Yin said in a hushed whisper. Hei read her lips and frowned angrily. He didn't say any more after that.

It was nearing noon time when the two finally exited the Home Run Noodle House. Yin left a very generous tip on the table to make up for Hei's less than stellar behavior. She knew he didn't really mean it and she also knew how devasted Hei would be if his favorite noodle house turned against him.

As the two walked back towards the apartments, Hei noticed that the blue Porsche was gone from the playground. Why did this strike him as funny? Yes, he might have noticed it out of his peripheral vision earlier that day, but something told him that he had talked to Misaki too and this he simply couldn't recall. Frustrated, he increased his speed until he was nearly powerwalking with Yin trailing helplessly behind him.

 _What a day!_ Hei thought as he trudged into his apartment. _What a day!_ He heard Yin distantly open the door and then he must have fallen asleep.

.oOo.

Misaki stepped out of her blue Porsche around noon time with a few boxes of evidence clutched in her hands. The rest of her team had beaten her to the office and she was stuck with her arms full. As she approached the entrance, she realized she had a bit of a dilemma. How on earth was she going to open this door? Right. She was such an idiot. She bent down to carefully place the evidence on the floor right as the door swung open, knocking her to the ground. _Idiot. Such an idiot!_

The man who had opened the door with unnecessary force now stood over her with a blank expression.

"Damn! My glasses!" Misaki muttered.

Huang looked over to her right where her glasses had landed some ways off. Not that Huang was a softy or had any guilt or anything, but he did go over to them, dust them off, and hand them back to the police chief.

"Thanks," Misaki said breathlessly, getting to her feet. _Smooth move, Misaki,_ she chided herself.

"Don't mention it," Huang replied gruffly, about to get the hell away from the area.

"Wait." She had heard that voice before. Placing her glasses on her nose and ignoring the awful crack down the middle of one, she focused on the short man who wore a heavy jacket and hat despite it being the beginning of autumn. She wasn't sure how she recognized him, but she did, as if he were in her peripheral vision all the time. Studying his frame and the neutral dark clothing, she could see how this man could easily blend in to any crowd. "What's your name?" she called.

Huang froze mid-step. She had seen him long enough to remember him. To refuse now would only tack suspicion to him! "Kiyoshi Kuno," he said as quickly as he could, before hastily making his escape.

Kiyoshi...Kuno? Misaki frowned. Interesting. The name didn't seem to ring a bell. All well, keeping the door open with one foot, she stretched to gather the box of evidence and slide her way into the police building. Life sucked sometimes, but luckily all the evidence was intact, right? She walked the stairs to the fourth floor, wearing her grumpiest face. Misaki being Misaki realized all too soon that she couldn't ignore the stupid crack down her vision and it would be two weeks at least for the glasses to be fixed. Actually, she might as well update her prescription which required an appointment and another few weeks. Goddammit. Did this mean-

"Misaki!" Kanami shouted. "Oh no! What happened to your glasses? I guess this means you'll be forced to wear those contacts I bought you for your birthday!"

Misaki gave her the dirtiest of grumpiest frowns. "Some guy named Kiyoshi Kuno bumped into me on my way here. I don't want to talk about it," she snapped, slumping into her desk chair and placing the box of evidence on her desk.

"Oooh? A guy assaulting our Misaki?" Kanami teased. Another death glare. "Okay, okay. I'm just teasing. What did you find? I heard you wanted to bring this box in personally."

Misaki nodded, prying open the lid. Then her heart stopped.

"It's not in here," Misaki said quietly. "It's not here," she repeated more frantically.

"What's not here?" Kanami asked with concern. The rest of Section Four gathered around to see what was the matter.

"It must have been inside when I fell," Misaki said disappointingly. "I'll have to go back down there and look for it."

"No, you can't!" Otsuka said suddenly. All eyes turned to her and she flushed a deep scarlet. "I mean, Mr. Hourai wants to see you in his office...right now."

"Urgh!" Misaki sighed deeply and locked the lid back on the box. "Give me a minute, I think I have a headache." Everything was happening so fast. And this stupid crack in her glasses was driving her crazy!

"I'll go down and check the front entrance," Kanami volunteered. "What am I looking for anyway?"

"A piece of a mask." The entire room went silent. "Well, I've got to go."

Pushing herself up from her chair, Misaki ascended the stairs, not entirely sure what would meet her at the other end.

.oOo.

"Misaki Kirihara, Public Affairs Section Fo-"

"Come in," Hourai said very shortly.

Misaki steeled herself and walked inside.

"How are you doing, Miss Kirihara?"

"Fine thanks," she said, scanning the room for any indication of why she was here. Hourai watched her as she struggled to find clues.

"You must wonder why you are here," Hourai said genially. "Rest assured nothing is wrong. I merely wished to inform you that your work hours have been slashed from 7am to 12pm for the next few months or so."

"What?" Misaki exclaimed. "Why? Did I do something wrong?"

"Please, listen. I have already said you are fine. Actually, I'm quite impressed at how you're conducting yourself, considering you have just finished up the Qing Long Tang case. I understand from your father that you have had a previous relation with Alice Wang."

"Yes," the police chief replied stiffly, more than a little annoyed that her father still talked about her at work.

"I am sad to hear that," Hourai said, not sounding sad at all. "But back to why you're here. I want you to think back. Back when you were trying to get this job. You had to undergo training, didn't you? Well the time has come to put that training to use. From 5 to 8 every night you will go to the 139 Atsu Street* and aid a very interesting client."

Her psychology training? But, she hadn't used that in years!

"I trust you still have your documents under the name Dr. Ichinose. Yayoi Ichinose."

"Yes, sir. But why-?"

"Miss Kirihara, you must understand that everything you learn and hear is confidential. _Everything_. I want you to know that you are very important to this organization and that _he_ is as well. When you think about it carefully," Hourai said, giving her a piercing look, "we are _all_ on the same side."

Misaki opened her mouth to ask something else, but nothing came out. Why was he being so cryptic?

"Mr. Hourai, if you don't mind me asking...who am I going to see exactly?"

"Funny you should ask that. To be literal about it, you won't be seeing anyone."

"I don't understand." She frowned at him.

"There will be a wall separating the two of you so that your identities can both be protected. But as for the person you are going to see, we call him Hei."

"...Hei?"

"It's a codename just like yours, Dr. Ichinose," Hourai explained as if this was all very taxing for him to explain.

"Oh." Misaki was quiet. She wasn't sure how to feel about helping a mentally unstable person, especially when she couldn't see him. And it was someone important to the organization? A police officer with post-traumatic stress disorder? Someone who had seen unimaginable horrors? She wasn't so sure she was qualified despite taking all the necessary courses.

"I will explain everything to him before he comes tonight. But other than this added responsibility, you will continue to lead Section 4 on this investigation. I will have Matsumoto be in charge while you are away."

"Understood, sir."

"I have faith in you, Miss Kirihara. Do not disappoint."

* * *

**tbc... Please R &R!**


	4. Reluctance

**A/N- Sorry guys. Looks like I won't be finishing this one but...well here's what I've got. (LOL that was like 6 years ago)**

* * *

Li Shengshun looked up in surprise when Huang stepped into his cramped apartment.

"Hei, you need to get up," Huang said gruffly.

_Hei? Who was this Hei everyone kept bothering him about? Was it a new nickname?_

"What?" Li asked innocently. "Yin, what's the matter?"

The doll gave him a sympathetic look, but refrained from commenting.

"It seems that there's something weirder about you than I originally thought," Huang said, more to himself than to Li. "The Syndicate is making you see a specialist."

"A...specialist?" Li asked blankly. "Is there something wrong with me?"

"You could say that again," Mao said, licking his paw.

"Look, I'm just following orders. I don't want any funny business. Tonight, you'll report to police headquarters on the tenth floor and Mr. Hourai will give you instructions from there. You got me?"

"But I can't remember doing anything wrong!"

There was something about the way Li said that, the way he said he couldn't remember, which struck everyone as a little odd. Maybe he really _didn't_ remember...

"It's okay," Yin said gently. "I'll watch over you."

"No can do," Huang said. "They won't let anyone see inside."

"Fine," Li said, a bit worried. He had never really seen a doctor before because it was hard to get the necessary documents proving he was an exchange student, legally in the country, and even legally alive, so he was really apprehensive about someone knowing more about him than even he did. "When do I meet this specialist?"

"Tonight."

.oOo.

139 Atsu Street was a bit off the popular roads of Tokyo. In fact, it was nearly in the middle of nowhere. Misaki frowned as she drove deeper and deeper into the unfamiliar neighborhood. Her gut told her to run, but she knew that Hourai wouldn't put her into any dangerous situations- right?

Parking her car down the block, she walked towards the indicated address, pleasantly surprised to see that the building wasn't at all as badly worn down as the surroundings would imply. Flicking on all the lights, she entered the main room- and there was only one room apart from a bathroom- and sat down. She saw a peculiar rail down the middle of the table, where a sliding panel connected to the walls could slide across. The panel was supported by strong bolts, and each half of the table was fortified with nails.

Curiosity won over and she began to play with the sliding door, rolling it back and forth, when she noticed that there was a lock on the one side. Huh, made sense. But what key fit inside it? She reached into her pocket and pulled out her car keys. Would it even fit? Well, she thought, the room was clearly set up for her. It seemed untouched, unused, and unknown. Feeling confident that no one was watching her make a fool of herself, she fit the key into the slot and cracked a grin. If only she had had this much luck all day. She was still pretty pissed about her glasses, vowing to punch that Kuno guy whenever she next saw him. And wasn't that funny that a man she had never met before happened to bump into her right before the mask shard disappeared?

With a frown, Misaki slid the door across the length of the room and locked it with a key. She noticed that at the top there was a thin flap only barely enough room for a few pieces of paper. Looking behind her, she noticed that there was a back door, but upon trying it, found that it was locked. She knew that her new client had to come in the door she entered. This gave her some relief that no one would be sneaking up on her with her back turned. Now all there was to do was wait. Misaki leaned back in her seat and stared at the ceiling.

.oOo.

139 Atsu Street. Well wasn't that nice to know. Hei muttered angrily to himself. Huang, Yin, and Mao thought that he was crazy and were now forcing him to go seek professional help. Honestly! Every single contractor he knew was a raving lunatic. How was it that he was the only one pinned down to get therapy?

He didn't have a car, though he knew how to drive, so he was left to make the long walk to wherever this place was. Good thing he knew the ins and outs of Tokyo better than most, otherwise he would have been wandering around the city until morning. And what was the point of this anyway? Hourai had said it had something to do with his "abilities prevented from augmenting due to serious concerns concerning his mental state and cognitive function...etc." If that wasn't bull, Hei didn't know what was. Yes, he'd go along with this therapy rouse, but he wasn't going to like it. Not one bit.

* * *

**A/N: Please let me know what you think.**


	5. Session 1: Hei

**A/N: Hi everyone...sorry to keep you hanging. I found myself with some more time on my hands while staying safe at home...so I figured I owed it to you all to finish this. I was really worried at first that I had lost my ability to write...but then I remembered, you can't lose what you never had! Hahahhaa**

**I went back to edit grammar and spelling of previous chapters, so maybe it's a bit easier to get through? Please let me know what you think!**

***Also don't forget that Li is the one mainly interacting with Misaki, so Hei isn't that familiar with her.**

* * *

Hei stepped into the building soundlessly, unsure of what to make of the current situation. Every time he tried to ask Yin and Mao for more details, they had acted like they were scared of him, worried they would trigger some sort of anger switch in him that all contractors seemed to have. Not to even mention Huang who kept looking at him askance like he had grown an extra head. Hei had been tempted to blow the whole thing off. After everything that he had seen and experienced, he doubted a few therapy sessions would even make a dent. Why hadn't the Syndicate made _Mao_ go to therapy? He was living as a f*cking cat for crying out loud. That seemed pretty neurotic to Hei.

The room was small, not very furnished, with only a single table and a wooden panel that chopped the room, and presumably the table, in half. It was just about as welcoming as any Syndicate interrogation room, except for a quaint clock on the wall that had a clock face which read, _Progress isn't Measured in Time!_

Perfect. Hei sat down on the wooden chair, glaring at the sliding door. He noticed the locks on it right away and figured it would be pointless to even _try_ to see who he was talking to. Apparently, the Syndicate's objectives of therapy and secrecy were not altogether compatible, and Hei would be stuck, getting his life changing advice…through a door.

"Hei?" a feminine voice called out from the other side of the panel. It sounded…familiar, almost, but without a face to put to it, Hei was at a loss. Something was niggling at the back of his brain to _recognize_ her and even to _like_ her, but he shoved that part away, feeling that it was an unwelcome distraction during a time like this.

"Yes?" Hei replied testily.

"Drop the attitude. My name is Dr. Ichinose and I'll be your therapist for…" Misaki faltered. Hourai hadn't specified a time, had he? "—Until it's been deemed necessary you don't need to go to therapy anymore."

Hei mentally snorted, but tried to control himself. It seemed like this Dr. Ichinose was a no nonsense operator and hearing him basically mock her lack of control didn't seem like the wisest move.

"The Syndicate didn't give you much of a choice, I take it?" Hei asked, in what he hoped was an understanding tone.

"The—what?" Misaki frowned at the wooden door, wishing she could actually look at her client. The voice seemed familiar, somehow, but it was much darker and rougher than any she had come across. Still…she couldn't rule out that she had met this client before, even if she couldn't immediately identify who it was. _Stupid wooden panel_ , she thought. "Are they your employers?" Misaki asked.

"Yours…mine…" Hei sighed, passing a hand over his face.

"Okay…let's start from the beginning. My…department…told me that you have been experiencing some issues lately, but I want to hear it from you. Do you have any concerns you would like to talk about?"

"No."

"Seriously? Everyone has something."

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Hei, you're not making this easy for me. I'm supposed to be helping you and I can't do that if you refuse to open up."

"I don't even know why I'm here," Hei fumed. "There's a whole population of dolls who can't even shit by themselves and the Syndicate thinks that _I'm_ the one in need of professional help?"

Well, when he put it that way…

"That's beside the point," Misaki said. "I'm here to help _you._ Deflecting the focus onto dolls isn't going to change that. How about you tell me what you do for this…Syndicate?"

"It's not anything unusual," Hei groused, "I get my orders from my handler, Huang, and then I talk with Yin and Mao. I might have to scout out a location for later in the day, make a trade, or assassinate someone. Your pick."

"Oh…that's um…" Misaki blinked in shock. Had Hourai sent her to counsel a criminal? But no, he had said that they worked on the _same side_ , and that just didn't make sense to send her _alone_ in the middle of a largely abandoned area to meet with a criminal every week. Maybe he was an undercover cop, infiltrating the mafia or something? "So you work undercover a lot?"

Hei nodded. "It's my specialty."

Misaki sighed out a breath of relief. "Ah, I see. You must be pretty convincing to go unnoticed for so long. Do you ever think about how that might affect you?"

"In what way?" Hei asked slowly.

"Well, for one thing, you're pretty restricted. If you're pretending to be someone you're not all the time, you can't always do what you want or act the way you would want, either."

Hei frowned. "It's my job."

"What about outside of your job? What do you do for fun?"

"Nothing."

Misaki sighed. This was worse than pulling teeth.

"When you have to assassinate people as part of your job, do you ever feel guilty about it?"

"No."

"Why?"

"If I don't kill them, they'll kill somebody else. They usually have an item I need or information I want, which means they've already killed before to get it. I need to complete the mission and they're in my way. It's not that complicated."

"Do you only kill people who are in your way? What about innocent bystanders?"

"No, why would I kill them?"

"Just checking."

They were silent for a long moment, which put Hei on edge. He gripped the edge of the table. "What is it?" he growled.

"Oh, sorry, I was just thinking. I realize it must be just as hard on you as it is on me to work together without seeing each other. I was just thinking that you seem to have a strong sense of justice. After working amongst criminals for so long, that sense can sometimes be corrupted over time. Even our best cops can snap under too much pressure."

"Cops?"

"Yes...aren't you?"

Hei began to laugh. "You thought I was an undercover _cop?_ "

"Hourai said we were on the same side, I just assumed…" Misaki frowned, thinking about what Hourai had said and what he had purposefully left out.

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe it was _you_ working on _my_ side?"

"What, no, that's impossible!" Misaki protested. "I've never even _heard_ of the Syndicate before!"

"Maybe it's you who needs to sort things out, not me," Hei chuckled darkly. He got up from the table, purposefully scraping the wooden chair along the floor to let her know he was getting up.

"Don't think you're off the hook just because _you_ think I work for this Syndicate, or whatever. You still need to report back here next week, Hei."

"Sure," Hei called. "Maybe they'll send me a real therapist next time. One who actually knows what she's dealing with."

With that, Hei exited the building, stuck his hands in his pockets, and silently fumed all the way home.

.oOo.

When Misaki returned to the office the next morning, she was exhausted. Her first therapy session hadn't exactly gone the way she planned, and while she had wanted to confront Hourai about it, she knew he would either dodge her questions, as per usual, or imply that maybe she wasn't as capable as he had originally thought. If Hourai _did_ know that Hei was a criminal working for the Syndicate, then why had he implied that Misaki worked for them too…Was that even possible? Yes, she knew it was possible, just as she knew PANDORA had unofficial affiliations with every major intelligence agency in the world. Nothing was incorruptible. Perhaps Hei was right, maybe she was naïve about who she really worked for.

"Chief, we're going to head out now…" Kouno said, standing by the exit with Saitou, Ootsuka, and Matsumoto. They wore identical frowns on their faces as they took in the way Misaki was hunched over, clearly upset about something she wasn't sharing with the rest of them. "Call us if you need anything."

"I will, thank you," Misaki said, waving them off. Making sure she was alone, she turned to her computer and surreptitiously typed in the name: Kiyoshi Kuno. The in-house search engine took a while to load, but eventually a grainy photo of a much younger Huang popped up on screen. _Police Detective_. _Partner(s): Isozaki (Deceased)._ Huh, so maybe he was telling the truth after all. She was going to close down the browser when she noticed something else on his file. _Inducted_. Misaki read over that word a few more times. Inducted? Inducted into what?

She knew she hadn't seen Kuno around the police office before. A crease formed between her brows as she thought about the implications. The shard from BK-201's mask had disappeared just as she had run into Kuno on the stairs. The possibility that it had just been a coincidence now seemed slimmer and slimmer. So what had he been doing in police headquarters yesterday? Surely he hadn't been waiting for her at that one entrance just to bump into her…? But if he had been visiting someone…Misaki rubbed her eyes, frustration welling inside of her. She hated to think that Hei was right, but that's where all the arrows pointed. Next time she spoke with him, she wasn't going to take no for an answer. She was going to get down to the bottom of this.


	6. Session 2: Li

**A/N: Disclaimer. This is a fanfiction and I have no psychology knowledge. I went to fanfiction university and everything you read in this should be taken as fiction. Hei has a kind of split personality, an exaggerated version of what was shown in the series, with tons of memory gaps, and my fanfiction solution for this fanfiction medical condition is to find inner peace to bring the pieces back together. Thank you for attending my TedTalk.**

* * *

Misaki sat in the wooden chair, nearly squirming with excitement. She had arrived almost a half an hour early, prepared the wooden sliding board, and stared at the clock hanging high on the wall so that both parties could see it. Yes, she was curious, feeling like she had picked up the scent of game on a hunting trail, but she was also level-headed. Could she really trust Hei? After all, he seemed to have a history of killing people. Not that the wooden board would prevent him from doing just that, but Misaki felt that it had to be in place again, if for nothing else, to make Hei feel a little safer she wasn't going to pull a fast one on him.

She heard the sound of the other door opening and she listened with anticipation for when he had sat himself down on the opposite chair.

"Uh, hello?"

Misaki blinked. Had she heard that right? The voice sounded nothing like Hei's had before. It was soft and tentative, almost sweet. But like before, she couldn't exactly place it. Her mind was swirling with images of Kuno, Hourai, and Isozaki…The wooden board was planted firmly in place and she wasn't going to open it now and risk scaring off the little squirrel of a man that had seemed to take Hei's place.

"I was told to come here to, ah, Atsu street to meet with a Dr. Ichinose?"

"Yes…we met last time, remember?"

"Oh…" Li was silent for a long time.

"You don't remember?"

"Vaguely?"

Misaki frowned, feeling cheated, like she had finally gathered enough questions to ask Hei and now he wasn't even in his right mind. Drug use? Memory loss? Stress could potentially cause some memory loss, she knew, but not to this extent.

"Cut the crap, Hei. We both know exactly what you're doing here."

Li looked down at his hands, confused. Even his therapist was calling him Hei and he couldn't remember even meeting her! But she did sound a bit familiar…but her name was Dr. Ichinose, and that put a stop to where his thoughts had headed…mostly.

"I'm sorry," Li said. "I don't know what you want me to say."

"The truth!" Misaki's voice softened. "You really don't remember telling me you work with Huang, Yin, and Mao?"

"Oh, I work with them."

"Okay…and these are your partners in crime?"

"Oh no! There's just my friends!" Li said, then he frowned. "Lately though…they've been getting really upset with me. I don't know why, though! It's not like I'm acting differently or anything!"

"Alright, calm down, Hei," Misaki pursed her lips. This was taking an unexpected turn. She had no doubt in her mind that his partners were seeing what she was seeing now, a lapse in reality. It happened often enough that cases like these were recorded: a monumental amount of stress was heaped on the shoulders of a single person and to deal with it, their mind became fragmented, giving rise to different personalities. "On a scale from one to ten, how much stress are you currently under?"

"Right now? Uh…I'd say ten."

"Why?"

"Well, you're asking me a lot of questions and I don't know how you want me to answer them. My friends are treating me like I have some sort of disease, and I don't know what to do. I'm talking to a wall too."

"So am I."

"Yeah…I know, sorry."

"Sorry? What are you sorry for? The wall isn't your fault."

Li shrugged, even though she couldn't see it. "I don't know. Things just tend to be my fault. I lost my sister. That was my fault."

"Hei, you probably couldn't help that. The wooden divider is here because my boss insisted we don't see each other face-to-face. It has nothing to do with you and I'm sure your sister doesn't either."

"My sister was a contractor."

"Oh."

"After she killed our parents, it was my job to look after her. She had no one else in the world. I couldn't just let the Syndicate take her! Not alone. And now she's gone. Who's responsible for that? I was the only one she had left. Of course it's my fault."

"You…joined the Syndicate to protect your sister?" Misaki asked.

"I couldn't just let her go alone!"

"No, I think I understand that…That, must have been rough."

"…Yeah."

"What's…what's the last thing you remember, Hei? Think back to this morning. Can you remember getting up? Talking to anyone?"

"Um…I went on a walk?"

"Okay…anything else?"

Li frowned. "I think I ate something? Ramen, maybe? And then I talked with Mao, but he was busy eating tuna off the floor."

Okay, they'd come back to that later… "And coming here, do you remember how you came here?"

"Yes, I walked from my apartment."

"Good." At least she wouldn't have to worry about him getting lost on his way back.

"Well, we'll continue to explore this," Misaki said. She didn't know what she wanted him to do. Keep track of what he remembered and what he didn't? What if the other Hei returned and threw it out? And what if they started talking to each other? Could Hei handle that without her there to facilitate a reconciliation? "I'll see you next week. Same place, same time."

"Yeah, of course," Li said.

.oOo.

The beautiful police chief was walking around the park again across from Li's apartment. Mao and Yin were staying with him, just in case he needed support, but otherwise let him do what he wanted. Yin was mesmerized by this strange Hei-Li creature, as she had only noticed a marked difference just a few months ago. Hei hadn't always been like this, but maybe it was his way of coping, a way to compartmentalize his life in a way that was easier for him to digest.

"I can't believe Huang doesn't see any problem with Hei hanging out with that police chief," Mao said to Yin as they stared out the window. "He has to know that sooner or later she'll figure something out. She's the smartest thing the police has working for them and Hei's not exactly on his game right now."

"They don't care," Yin echoed.

"Yeah, that's what I said," Mao said, pausing mid-sentence. "Wait, what do you mean, Yin?"

"They're inducting Misaki Kirihara into the Syndicate soon. They want them to get along."

Mao almost felt bad for the police chief. Her life was mapped out for her before she even knew what path she was on.

"Huh," Mao said. "Is that why they finally decided to give Hei therapy?"

Yin nodded. "Two birds, one stone."

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**A/N: Please Read and Review!**


	7. Date

**A/N: Last chapter. :( There's a short epilogue though to come.**

* * *

Li smiled and waved as he approached the police chief, looking over the park for clues they might have missed.

"Misaki!" he called.

Misaki whipped her head around, thinking it was Hei, but then realized that it was good old Li, coming to help her with the investigation. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about all the strange coincidences coming into focus: Li lived right next to the park, Li _sounded_ like Hei who was working _undercover_ , and Li even owned a trench coat.

"Uh, Misaki?" Li asked, cocking his head to the side, wondering if the police chief was alright. "You look worried. Is now a bad time?"

"No, uh, sorry, Li. You just…" Misaki tore her eyes away from Li, not wanting to believe what her rational mind was telling her. "You just startled me."

Li frowned, scratching the back of his head. "If you're sure…" He didn't sound convinced.

Misaki felt a pang of guilt in her heart as she watched Li, looking so lost, wondering why his friend wasn't treating him the same way. She knew from their previous session that his friends acting like something was _wrong_ with him was only hurting him more, probably adding to his condition. "I'm just about done here," she said. "I saw a few wire marks around the tree here, but other than already knowing he can use a wire, I can't get anything from just a few scratches on the bark."

"Oh, I have a wire," Li said innocently.

 _Yes, I'm sure you do._ Misaki sighed, "Are you hungry, Li?" As if in answer, his stomach released a loud growl. "Come on, let's get something to eat. Lunch is on me."

The restaurant was crowded and smelled delightful. Misaki had picked this place because she was realistic about the size of her wallet and the portions that Li managed to pack away. They said nothing of any value as they waited for the food to come and after eating nonstop, Li eventually excused himself to go to the restroom. Misaki leaned back in her booth, staring up at the ceiling. She didn't have a master plan. She didn't even really know what she was doing here.

"Don't turn around," a soft voice came from the booth directly behind her.

Misaki froze.

"If you want to help Hei, bring him to me."

"Wha—"

"Shhh, just listen. Misaki, the only way to bring him back is with the meteor shard. He needs to see his sister, Bai, again for him to forgive himself. Right now, he's rejecting that part of himself he holds responsible for losing Bai, but it's not true."

Misaki took a sip of her water, looking discreetly at a picture frame across from her to try and see the speaker's reflection. All she got was a glimpse of blonde hair.

"If you want to save Hei and stop the Syndicate from killing all the contractors on the earth, bring him to me."

"Why can't you-?" The blonde hair in the reflection vanished. Misaki turned around in her seat, but the booth behind her was empty…and Hei stood over the table, a stony expression on his face.

"You don't normally talk to yourself alone," Hei accused.

"No, that's not what I was doing!" Misaki said frantically. This was not good and Hei wasn't buying it. "Hei, look, it's not what you think."

"Hei?" he repeated.

 _Shit_. Had she said that aloud?

"Please, I just want to help you!" Misaki whispered.

"Yeah? Because the Syndicate's just so helpful, isn't it?" Hei grabbed his coat and shoved it on, no expression on his face. "Do they always send you to help the contractors you're after or was that just a nice touch, Dr. Ichinose?"

Misaki bit her tongue. That _had_ been especially cruel of Hourai. He had to have known who Hei was all along, right? So what had been the point?

"Hei…" she threw cash on the table and ran to catch up with him, grabbing Hei on the arm. He shook her off, but allowed her to walk with him. "They're planning on destroying all the contractors in the world..."

"Did Amber tell you that?"

"Oh, was that her name? She never said."

"Amber's a liar, Misaki. You can't trust anything she says."

"But what if it's true, Hei? You said it yourself, the Syndicate isn't a kind organization. I mean, just look at us. They set us up, Hei. Maybe they wanted me to arrest you or for you to kill me. It wasn't as if they gave me any backup and a wooden plank wasn't going to save anyone."

Hei couldn't argue with her logic, but siding with Amber made him want to vomit. "What else did she say to you to make you believe her?"

"Amber?"

"Yes. Do you always believe people who talk to you from the table over?"

Misaki flushed and looked at the ground. "She said she knew how to solve your memory lapses and your, erm, mood swings. And she said what happened to Bai wasn't your fault. I thought…well, after we talked last time, I knew you felt largely responsible for your sister's disappearance. She said you needed to see her again for you to forgive yourself…"

When Hei next looked at her, his eyes were wet. "I…can't take this anymore."

Misaki cautiously wrapped her arms around him, feeling much the same way. "We'll figure this out, together. Hei, I don't know exactly what's going on with this Syndicate that you work for, but I do know that you won't be much use until we get this sorted out…Are you…are you willing to try Amber's solution?"

Hei, looking like Li in that moment, deflated and defeated, nodded. He felt like his head was going to explode and he just knew it would ease up the moment he gave in, like one part of him wanted him to see Amber and maybe release him from his guilt.

"Alright, then," Misaki said. "Sounds like a plan."

In the shadows, Amber smiled to herself, the meteor shard safely in her pocket.

.oOo.

When Hei next arrived at the therapist office, if one could even call it that, the wooden board was no longer in place. Misaki sat on the chair opposite him, smiling nervously at him. They had taken Amber up on her offer to patch Hei up again. They had met at a fountain, just Hei, Misaki, and Amber together. It was rather intimate, all things considered, especially when Bai made a sudden appearance before evaporating out of existence. Bai had even given Misaki a hug before departing, which made Misaki feel oddly like family.

"Hourai asked about you today," Misaki said. "He wanted to know if you had mentioned seeing Amber lately."

"What did you say?"

"I said I had never heard that name before in my life."

Hei smiled, feeling more like himself than he had in a while. "Good answer…anything else?"

"They inducted me into the Syndicate."

"That's what Huang said. Congratulations?"

Misaki nodded absently, as if still haunted by something. "They told me everything. The Saturn Ring system will be deployed at the peak of the Sun Spot Cycle. They want to wipe all the contractors and dolls from the earth."

"You didn't think it was true?" Hei asked her incredulously.

"Well…I wasn't sure whether to trust Amber completely or not, but I guess she was right. They said they had all the pieces in place for a Tokyo Explosion. They didn't even question whether I would want to participate. It was so ingrained in them that this was their mission, they just told me everything."

"You're leaving something out," Hei said.

"They…and they wanted me to kill you," Misaki said quietly. "They thought I'd have figured out who you were by now and that I would have gained your trust, while also being repulsed at the things _they_ made you do, as if they could just forget about that little detail. I…" She put her gun on the table, barrel facing the wall. "Obviously, I'm not…going to do that."

"The Syndicate will be after you. You won't be able to return to your job. You know that, right?"

"I know…"

Hei took her hand from across the table. "We'll get through this, together."


	8. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

The Tokyo Explosion never happened, was _prevented_ , by a terrorist group known as EPR. Misaki, upon failing to kill BK-201, had subsequently disappeared. Hourai lamented that he had invested so much in her, only to have her stolen from his organization last minute. He wondered if she had turned traitor or simply died, and frankly, he hadn't cared. What could Kirihara possibly accomplish on her own? He had made sure Hei would never trust her by setting up the therapy sessions shrouded in layers upon layers of deception. So he turned his mind to other matters, like the eradication of all contractors and dolls from the world.

Except, maybe he should have paid more attention to Kirihara after all. When Dr. Schroeder began the count down, BK-201 appeared on screen, UB-001, a doll, and a woman resembling Kirihara next to them. He had promptly shot Eric Nishijima in the head for being such a disgrace, but instead of running, somehow, a black cat had found its way onto his head, ripping his eyes from their sockets. And now…he was in jail, blind, and depressed.

As for Hei and Misaki, they were alive and well. They were rumored to be living together, with a cat and a young silver-haired woman as housemates, and an older man who swung by from time to time. But no one really knew where they lived, and they intended to keep it that way. They only arrived to and from work, at the Alma Institute that Kanami had cofounded, to rehabilitate dolls who had been employed the world over. People took it in stride that Misaki Kirihara was alive, and with a man, no less, as stranger things were known to happen when the Gate was involved.

The end.

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**A/N: Thank you so much for bothering to read this story! I hope it somewhat helped to give some of you closure...I'm working hard on writing Moonstone right now, another Hei/Misaki story. Consider checking that out when you're done here! There can never be enough Hei/Misaki in the world and each and every way Hei gets unmasked makes me smile.**

**Best, Bleu Tsuki**


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